Teaching Young Historians

When I really think about, it is reasonable to assume that all of my students, regardless of their past, present, or future life situations will be historians and are historians. They all will remember past events with a level of accuracy and will analyze, to some degree, those past events with regard to their current and future lives. It seems to me that the key to history is help students understand that they are living history and that every human being that has ever graced our planet was and is a part of history. This consideration will help take the stuffiness out of history. And, most of us will have to agree that we have encountered and perceived much stuffiness with regard to history. American history then, is no longer just about that group of founding fathers to whom we seemingly bear no resemblance. Nor, is it simply about the African slaves who were brought here to work the land or the native American settlers. History must have a personal connection and must start with the individual. My job as a teacher to is help the students answer three important questions: What are the connections between the past, present, and future? Why is this information important for my life and future? What facts are important for my functioning as a current and future U.S. citizen?

As I was reading Mr. Maxim's suggestions for developing a dynamic Social Studies curriculum, I realized that the accuracy of his words was proven by my experiences. As Mr. Maxim explained how interviews with historians and the elderly could help students with history, I remembered an assignment from second grade (circa 1976). For the assignment, I interviewed a neighbor of my grandmother - Mr. Carl Caldwell, a man who was at the time in his 80s or early 90s. He told me about the small community of Landis, NC during his childhood. Though I don't remember everything about that interview or report, I do remember being amazed by the fact that I this man had lived during a time when there were no automobiles. The experience left an indelible mark on my mind.

I am currently in possession of own grandmother's photographs and some of her personal letters, a treasure I hold dearly. My grandmother was born in 1916 and will be 94 years old on August 3. Her history is my history. It is important to me. The photos help me know that history is real and valuable and meaningful. I hope to connect my students to their history and then, as a natural extension, to our community's history, our state's history, our nation's history and our world's history.

Actually,

Aricka